Fishermen Penalized $60,000 for Failure to Transmit Timely Positional Reports

FISHERMEN PENALIZED $60,000 FOR FAILURE TO TRANSMIT TIMELY POSITIONAL REPORTS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fined three parties $60,000 civil penalties and six-month permit sanctions on May 11 for failing to transmit timely positional reports over a 45-hour period while fishing for sea scallops off the Delaware coast. NOAA issued the fine and permit sanction through its Office of General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation to the owner and operator of the FV Legacy, Admiral, Inc. and Richard Howe. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce

NOAA requires Northeast scallop fishing vessels to operate their vessel monitoring system units 24 hours a day and to transmit timely positional reports.

“VMS is a critical enforcement tool,” said NOAA Special Agent Shawn Eusebio. “It enables us to protect conservation sites by monitoring vessel activities in areas where we don’t have the benefit of using patrol vessels and aircraft.”

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, to support coastal communities that depend upon them, and to help to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries on the Web: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. For more information about NOAA on the Web: http://www.noaa.gov.